A blog by Eapen Thampy

Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror

We have seen the city; it is the gibbous
Mirrored eye of an insect. All things happen
On its balcony and are resumed within,
But the action is the cold, syrupy flow
Of a pageant. One feels too confined,
Sifting the April sunlight for clues,
In the mere stillness of the ease of its
Parameter. The hand holds no chalk
And each part of the whole falls off
And cannot know it knew, except
Here and there, in cold pockets
Of remembrance, whispers out of time.

-John Ashbery

A friend directed me to this article in Slatec, which is a good introduction to the work of the American poet John Ashbery, a fascinating author whose work I am just beginning to engage. Recommended.